I'm with Sharky, the greats like Sheene, Roberts, Agostini etc would wipe the floor with most of riders today, with the exception of a few.
Alot of the riders today do rely on electronics to much and not seat of the pants racing.
Sheene could take a piece of **** bike and bring it home on the podium, nowadays alot of the riders would be whinging about the setup not being right, of the weather being to wet, these guys are supposed to be the best in the world and they moan about a little bit of rain! Sheene just got on with it.
A good example was Casey Stoner last season, he wasnt the best rider, in fact I dont think he's that good a racer but he is the bravest, he knows that if he gives it full power coming off a turn that the bike's electronics will stop it from spinning up or sliding out of shape. To me that's not racing, it's just showcasing technology, which is a bit like F1 really.
Oh yeah I am a Barry Sheene fan, he is one of the reasons I'm on two wheels now.